1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an easy opening container employing a lever operated opener and more specifically to a novel lever and container end structure resulting in improved lifting characteristics for a primary positioned operating lever.
2. Background of the Invention
State of the art beverage container lever operated opening mechanism teaches that in order to effectively place one's finger on the body operating lever of an opening mechanism, one must first engage in an unsafe and inconvenient act of inserting ones fingernail or some thin object between the opener lift end and beverage container top panel. This must be done in order to pry the lever to a point where one can effectively engage a finger on the contact surface of the operating lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,993 to Hasegawa discloses a typical representation of present day state-of-the-art beverage container lever operated opening mechanism. Hasegawa shows a phase of lifting an operating lever of a beverage container opening mechanism. However, Hasegawa fails to show the unsafe and inconvenient act of initial lifting of operating lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,053 to Lundgren discloses an improvement to Hasegawa comprising a novel incline plane cooperating with the operating lever that easily raises the operating lever lift end to allow an operator to safely and efficiently engage a finger on the lift end of the operating lever and proceed with the opening process. The operating lever, secured by a centrally located rivet in the normal manner, is initially positioned at more or less right angle to the longitudinal axis of container scored closure disk. Pivoting the operating lever from the initial position up the incline plane to a point where the lever body longitudinal axis is generally in line with the longitudinal axis of the container. The lift end of the operating lever is raised to a point where an operator can engage a finger on the lift end of the operating lever. Unfortunately, in order to raise the lift end to a useful height, the incline plane has to be raised to such a height that it interferes with container end nesting. Although the theory of operation is correct, in practice, the necessary height of the inclined plane created an inability to nest and causes the end to be useless in modern day automated container filling and sealing systems.
The improvement of U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,053 by Lundgren over U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,993 to Hasegawa solved some of the problem of the prior art but did not provide a complete solution.
Thus a need exists for a beverage container opening that overcomes problems associated with the aforementioned typical representations of prior art devices. It is to the provision of such an opening mechanism that this invention is primarily directed.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement over U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,053 to Lundgren that solves the lifting problem while staying within the design limits demanded by the automated canning industry.
Another object of this invention is to provide for the safe and efficient lifting of an operating lever of a typical easy opening beverage container having an end panel with a scored area defining a closure disc adapted to be severed from the panel and pushed into the container by the action of an operating lever. The operating lever has an anchoring lug riveted to the exterior surface of the container top panel. The lug also serves as a hinge during the opening process. The operating lever has a nose portion at one end generally overlying the disc and a lift portion at the opposite end.
Another object of this invention is to provide an opener for a top panel of a container which is suitable for use with conventional containers.
Another object of this invention is to provide an opener for a top panel of a container which is suitable for use with conventional processing machines at a filling plant.
Another object of this invention is to provide an opener for a top panel of a container which does not increase the height of the product and allows for nesting of the product in a conventional manner.
Another object of this invention is to provide an opener for a top panel of a container which decreases the cost of the product.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description setting forth the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.